Rise of the High School
by Bookworm210
Summary: Trapped in Arachne's sleep-enforcing web had it's ups and downs. Like, getting a visit from the biggest boss ever, for example. But then there's the whole 'reality is suddenly a dream' thing. It flickers back and forth, really. If you want my opinion, though, I just want to figure out what the fuc- fudge is going on here. I was gonna say fudge. (Second in the Element series)
1. Ms Marie?

**Hey guys! Well, I couldn't come up with anything else for the cover :P Although, it originally said 'Keep calm and be stupid' XD**

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Silence.

Boredom.

Sweet, sweet silence.

Horrid, horrid boredom.

Well, at least I have the silence, rig-

"Echo! Wake up! We're gonna be late!"

I sighed, cracking my eyes open just the slightest bit. "I'm already up Jack," I turned my head to see my albino 'brother' struggling to correctly knot a tie, "...And dressed."

Jack shot me a glare, "Oh, ha-ha. Just help me, alright?"

I pulled the covers off myself before getting up. I walked over to Jack, flicking his forehead without looking up before setting to work on his tie. "Ow!" he rubbed his forehead, "What was that for?"

"Ruining my silence," I tucked the tie in his black vest, "And making me fix your tie."

"Echo! Jack! You're going to be late for school, dears!" a voice called up the stairs into the attic. "Coming!" I shouted back, sitting on my bed and clicking my black, shiny shoes over my pure white, knee-high socks. I smoothed out my brown skirt and pulled on my own back vest over a white shirt. Jack folded the ends of his brown pants and slipped on his polished black shoes.

"I hate private schools," my 'brother' sighed, "Even if this one gives free education to orphans."

I shook my head, grabbing my book-bag in one hand and Jack's wrist in the other. I dragged my brother down the stairs, him grabbing his bag as we passed it. I released his wrist as we reached the door. I was just about to open it when a woman appeared in front of it with her hands on her hips.

She was an older woman, in her late 40's. Her beautiful brown hair had a few gray strands in it. Her brown eyes were kind and loving, and a bit mischievous. She wore a flower-print dress and little black slippers. Her face didn't show wrinkles, and she was giving this..._ look_ that made me unsure of what Jack did this time.

"Uh... Ms. Marie?" I questioned, my eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion. "Uh-oh..." I heard Jack mumble, "What'd I do this time?"

Jack didn't even know what he did?

Not good.

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**Sorry it's short! Gr, homework! Curse you! Review and stay tuned!**

**~ Bookworm210**


	2. What Has the World Come to?

**Apparently today was formal day at school...**

**I wore Slipknot XD**

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I scanned the woman's face uncertainly, gripping the strap of my bag.

"Coat." Ms. Maria pointed to the coat rack, her infamous Scotland accent getting stronger as she spoke sterner. Jack let out a breath I knew he was holding as I reached for the coats. Mine was long and beige with white fire around the ends, Jack's a blue zip-up.

"Bye Ms. Marie!" I called over my shoulder, dragging Jack behind me in the direction of the school. As soon as we reached outside, I gasp and released his hand. "God, why are you always so cold?" I looked at my own hand, going sightly wide-eyed at the now slightly blue skin. "Yikes," Jack bit his lip, "Didn't know it was that bad..."

I huffed. "Just.. Come on." I continued walking, Jack nimbly jumping over frozen puddles beside me. "Why are _you _always so warm?" Jack retorted to my earlier comment. I shrugged. "I don't know," I looked back at my hand, the skin already back to its original color, "But I swear..."

"You swear what?"

"Nothing. It's just... I've been having these weird dreams."

Jack studied me, stopping his jumping and falling into step, "What kind of dreams?"

"You're there a lot. But you have blue eyes instead of brown, and... You're Jack Frost."

He perked up at that. "What about you, though?"

It was a while before I answered. "I'm this... _girl _that always echoes the last thing she hears, and... has powers... over elements."

"What kind of powers?"

"Really weird ones where, I can make fire appear on my fists, and I can make walls out of solid rock. I can make water appear out of mid-air, and I can become wind... It's so weird."

"Is there anything else?"

"There's this... boy, that's really dark and gloomy. And I think he may be Death."

"Death?"

"Yeah, you know. The Grim Reaper. Anubis. Hades. Pluto. And he's really protective of me. I punched him once. His whole cheek turned black and stayed like that."

Jack opened his mouth to ask more questions, but he was suddenly cut off by a loud squeal. "Lass! Dat you!?" a gruff, accented voice filed the air. I whirled, only for something to slam into me. "Bull?" I looked over the shoulder of the person who hugged me, before breaking into a grin, "Calla!"

The girl grinned back at me after pulling away. Jack awkwardly shifted behind me, clearing his throat. Calla tilted her head at him, walking away from me and stopping in front of my 'brother'.

Bull walked up and stood next to me. "'Ey lass, who's da boy?" Bull eyed Jack warily. The albino was currently blushing, Calla close to his face as she studied him. I laughed at Bull's question and Calla's actions, "Down, big guy. He's a friend. Calla! Leave the poor boy alone!"

Calla pointed at Jack with her thumb, giving me a look that clearly said, 'Why does he have white hair!?' I laughed again, shaking my head. "Jack, these are my friends, Bull and Calla," I introduced the three to each other, "We were friends before I, uh... You know."

"Oh," Jack slowly nodded before grinning and holding his hand out to Bull, "Well, I'm Echo's brother."

Bull raised an eyebrow, "Lass's who now?"

I laughed. "He's not my real brother," I wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders, "Just brother-figure."

Calla flashed a toothy grin at Jack, showing off her shark-tooth canines. She made a 'follow me' gesture with her hand, whirled, and trotted toward the school courtyard. "Come on." Bull, Jack and I walked after her, me telling Jack more about my dreams and explaining them to Bull. "Calla's'a banshee?" Bull scratched his bald head, "I can see dat happenin'."

I rolled my eyes.

"What 'bout dis, uh, Grim boy, eh? Where's he from?" Bull looked at my expectantly. I shrugged. "I don't know," I bit my lip, "But I swear I _do _know _him _in general. I've never seen him outside of the dreams, thou-"

"Hey! Bull! What'a ya doin' wit dese people, eh? Dey ain't high class." a kid about a year older than myself walked over, glowering at me. He had shaggy brown hair and dark eyes, not much of a color at all. I blinked, then returned the glare he was giving me.

"Leave dem 'lone." Bull growled, his expression hardening into a steely glare. The boy backed off, though still glared at me.

I crossed my arms, shaking my head.

What has the world come to when a girl can't talk to her friend without being criticized?

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**Sorry it's short! My hands are hurting today, it's way too cold. Review and stay tuned!**

**~ Bookworm210**


	3. Look at the Tooth!

**God, somebody shut my brother up! PLEASE! Or I'm just gonna *strangles mid-air while making a frustrated sound***

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I giggled with Calla as we walked down the halls together, carrying each other's books. Our giggling soon turned to laughter, and Calla started crying from laughing so hard.

I laughed with her, and when we finally settled down I suggested we go find the boys. Calla nodded, grinning, and we wandered through the halls.

That is... Until some guys started hitting on Calla.

"Hey sweetheart," one with messy blonde hair grinned, "You free tonight?"

Calla's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth. I growled at the guy, setting Calla's books down and shoving him. With a lot more strength than I expected, mind you. The blonde stumbled backwards, his two 'friends' having to keep him from falling onto his bum. I smirked, tugging down at my vest before turning. Just as I started walking away, I came face-to-face with the freaking blonde. I jumped, but he didn't notice it.

Out of instinct and pure self-defense, I raised my fist and slammed it into the guys jaw.

Good thing Jack taught me karate, eh?

The blonde cried out, "What the hell!?" echoing through the halls. He cupped his jaw, spitting what looked like a pebble onto the floor. But it wasn't a pebble. It was his _tooth. _I heard a particularly loud squeal, and a girl suddenly appeared on her knees next to the tooth.

She was bright and colorful, with even-toned skin and brown hair in high ponytail. Bright highlights streaked through her hair, much like mine, but there was a lot more than just two. She wore the girl's uniform, but a lot of jewelry that consisted of feathers, and many, many bright colors.

"Oh, look at the tooth!" she fingered it gently as if it were priceless, "It's so white! And it's a baby!"

Blonde's two friends burst out laughing. "Dude, you still have baby teeth?" one with darker skin and clean-cut brown hair had to lean on the lockers for support. The girl shot to her feet, forcing open blonde's mouth and prodding around at his teeth. "You've got one more! Oh, and it's loose!" she grinned a maniac-grin that would've made Jack jealous. "Tooth," a gruff, yet kind Russian voice sounded, "Hands out of mouth."

Tooth blinked like she just realized she was invading blonde's mouth, before her hands shot out of his mouth and she stuttered a small apology. Blonde's eyes were wide and he was slowly backing away. "You people are crazy!" he yelled, before turning and all but _sprinting _away. His two friend ran after him, still laughing a little.

Calla and I high-fived, both of us grinning. Tooth smiled at us, chirping a sweet, "Hello! I'm Toothiana, but you can call me Tooth."

She held out her hand, me slowly shaking it. "I'm Echo. And that's Calla." I pointed to my friend, who gave a shy wave. Tooth opened her mouth (probably to ask _why in the world is your name Echo?_) when she got cut off._  
_

"Lass!"

"Echo!"

"And that's Bull, and Jack." I rubbed my temples. "We saw da blonde runnin' down da hall, what'd ya do to 'em?" Bull eyed me with a hint of pride on his face. I rolled my eyes, "What do you think?"

"Sheila 'ere punched the guy, mate." an Australian accent suddenly filled the air, and I looked back to Tooth. Three guys stood behind her, one with his arm around her shoulders. He had blondish-brown hair with a head-band around his forehead that had some sort of tribal marking on it. Tan skin and brown eyes completed the look, along with a 6'1" stature.

The second guy was even taller than the first, maybe 6'5", with stubble and thick brown hair. His blue eyes were jolly, and his muscles were bulging.

The third guy was small, about the same height as Bull, with spiky golden hair and bright hazel eyes. He had a little pair of golden-brown pilot goggles on top of his head.

"Da, she has good arm," the tallest one had a Russian accent. He looked at Bull and Calla, "Is this girl you spoke of?"

I raised an eyebrow. Calla blushed while Bull puffed out his chest a bit, "Yup. Taught 'er eyerythin' she knows."

Jack face-palmed. The Russian guy held a beefy hand out to me, "I am Nicholas, but you call me North."

I shook his hand, which was about 5 times the size of mine. The Australian with his arm around Tooth gave a sarcastic wave, "E. Aster Bunnymund. Ya can call me Bunny."

The third one waved at me, making weird gestures with his hands. "Uh..." I glanced at Calla for help. She giggled, kneeling in front of the little guy and making the same gestures he did. He made an 'o' with his mouth before tugging at Tooth's skirt and pointed at me. Tooth laughed, "This is Sanderson, but we call him Sandy."

Jack grinned at them, waving, "I'm Jackson. You can call me Jack, thou-"

He was cut off my Tooth shoving his fingers in his mouth, prodding around his teeth. She let out a little gasp, "They shine like freshly fallen snow!"

I could not believe the irony in that sentence.

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**Ta-da! They have met! Now for Grim. Ugh, I can't think of a meeting for them. Review and stay tuned!  
**

**~ Bookworm210**


	4. Grimhold? Seriously?

**Just a little note to that one person.**

**GET A LIFE!**

**You reported Echo like 5 times, and it's still up there. They. Are. Not. Taking. It. Down.**

**Now get a life and stop flaming my stories. If ya don't, well. I could always delete your reviews.**

**Thank you.**

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"So, Tooth, any other idiotic guys I should know about?"

"Um..." Tooth exchanged glances with North and Bunny, Sandy passed out with his forehead stuck to the table. It was only the five of us, Calla had gone home early because her breakfast didn't agree with her, and Bull had decided to teach Jack how to scare the ship outta people when wanted. "There is one," North said, "Is very... uh..."

"Full of 'imself?" Bunny offered, arm still around Tooth. North was sitting next to me, surprisingly only taking up half of the booth-seat-thing. "Da." North agreed. "Well, who is he?" I asked. "...Grimhold Reaper." Tooth whispered, as if afraid to say it louder.

I raised an eyebrow, "Grimhold? What kind of name is that?"

"Says the sheila named Echo." Bunny grumbled. "Is no laughing matter," North warned, "He is very dangerous."

I glared at Bunny before asking, "Why is he so dangerous?"

"We call 'im the Grim Reaper. Kid sure passes off as one." Bunny shivered. "He's always got a weapon," Tooth explained, "Either a dagger in his shoe, or a gun inside his coat... His biggest one is the Scythe."

"How can the kid carry a scythe with him?"

"Is not normal scythe. It shrinks, become so small is size of pencil."

"I don't think that's possible."

"Oh, it is sheila. The blade goes inta the handle, 'n the handle shrinks 'gainst itself."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oddly enough," Tooth said cautiously, picking at her food with a frown, "He's really quiet and barely talks at all. Nobody has ever _seen _him talk, but we've heard him talk."

"How does that work?" I asked through a mouth full of pasta. North eyed me, scooting away a bit. I rolled my eyes and gestured for Tooth to continue, "Like I said, no one has ever seen him talk. We've only heard him. Like, on other sides of doors and stuff."

I swallowed, "What's so important about the kid? He carries around weapons, doesn't talk a lot, so what? Doesn't seem dangerous to me."

Bunny stared at me like I just said the stupidest thing ever. "You're a stubborn one, I'll give ya that." he muttered. I hummed in agreement, still waiting for an explanation. "He is... odd child," North said slowly, "Very mysterious."

"Can we get as to _why _he's so dangerous and mysterious and odd?" I asked sarcastically, my patience running low. "He does... weird things," Tooth lowered her voice, "If he's defending himself, and he doesn't have one of his weapons, he'll yell something in a different language. One that nobody understands. There'll be a huge black flash, and he'll be gone. People think it's a tricked-out fire-cracker or something like that."

"Yell something in a different language- what?" I scratched my head in confusion, my brain still trying to wrap around the concept. "And he will end up on other side of school." North added, a tone to his voice that said, 'It's really, really weird, but it's still awesome.'

"Ugh, you people confuse me." I clutched my head, the suddenly awake Sandy giving me a look that clearly translated 'welcome to my world.' "So," Tooth sounded eager to change the subject, "What do your parents do?"

Before the random conversation about Grimhold Reaper popped up, I had found out a couple things about the kids' parents. Tooth's mom was a dentist, Sandy's dad was a pilot, North'd dad was a toy-maker, and Bunny's mom was a painter. Apparently they all wanted to follow in the footsteps of their mother or father.

I froze, a horrible flash of a gun crossing my vision. "N-nothing," I stuttered, "Th-they don't do anything."

"They gotta do somethin' sheila." Bunny argued, in some miracle releasing his arm from Tooth's shoulders. "They, uh," I gulped, "They travel around a lot. I don't see them anymore."

"Who watches you?" Tooth asked in her innocent way, tilting her head. "A, uh, a f-friend of theirs." I stumbled over my words, hating every second of it.

"Is Jack real brother?" North questioned. I stiffened up at that one, not knowing how to answer.

_God help me! _I prayed. Sandy, the amazing little life-saver he is, gave the other three a look that translated easy, 'Leave the girl alone, for goodness sake.'

After that he flashed me a pearly white grin. I gave a nervous smile, a breathy laugh escaping my lips before I bit one.

_God, how am I gonna survive this?_

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**Ollo! As Megamind says XD Alright guys, so I'm thinking about a little relationship for Calla, but I can't decide! Sandy or Bull? Sandy 'cause they're both mute and would be extremely cute together, or Bull 'cause I wanna experiment a little... Gr, help!**

**~ Bookworm210**


	5. Do You Know First Aid?

**Eilimint is Irish for element. Pronounce it however you like. Hada is Spanish for fairy, pronounced ha-da. Now, I found really good trailer music, all I need are pictures of our heroes and... wait for it...**

**I _THINK_ CAN MAKE A TRAILER FOR ECHO!**

**So, people, if any of you are willing to draw pictures for us, I'd love you with all my heart and give you shout-outs EVERYWHERE.**

**I've got accounts for a whole lot of sites. The music is World Without End by Brand X**

**Review answers-**

**Pineapple-Sorceress: You did not just... OH MY GLOB! *tackle hugs* You're my new best friend!**

**Nanu Kitty: That's why I'm so stumped! They'd both be cute! (the relationships, not the people... duh :P )**

**randomobsession123: Wish granted :D**

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_I couldn't narrow down what the voice belonged to. It talked like a girl, but had all the feel of a boy. I opened my mouth to scream at it, but I found no voice. While trying to figure out what was wrong with my voice, the darkness' words hit me. It can feel my friends' fear? I thought Pitch was the only fear entity, and then the other ones were just... grumpy, I guess. "Of course he's not the only fear entity!" the voice growled a feline's growl, "That idiot isn't the least bit scary! He can't give children nightmares! Those petty excuses for bad dreams... Be me. Oh, yes, the horrible nightmares I create. Fire, and death, and blood. Their fear is wonderful afterwards."_

_Suddenly, from the darkness, a pair of haunting green eyes with black slits as pupils emerged. The eyes were followed by the Cheshire Cat's grin, only 100 times more evil and frightening. "Sweet dreams..." a female voice purred._

"Ms. Eilimint!" I sat bolt straight in my chair as a ruler slammed into my desk. "God bless amen!" I yelled, pressing my hands together quickly. Mrs. Nemesis, the black-haired, dark-eyed woman that acted a _lot _older than she really was, glared at me, her teeth bared. She had a slight French accent, though it was easy to understand her. "You do not _pray _in my class, c'est bon?" she growled. I glanced at Tooth, or 'Ms. Hada', who was covering her mouth to stifle her giggling.

"Um... what?" I looked at the teacher, confusion written on my face. "I do not expect any student in my classroom to take a nap, much less pray!" Mrs. Nemesis yelled at me, "Office, now! The principal will deal with you later!"

I stared at her as if she just answered me the easiest question ever wrong. "But-but-but, I didn't do anything!" I stood, my chair scraping across the floor. I heard Tooth gasp quietly. Bunny, who was on my other side, gaped at me as if I'd just pulled the pin off a grenade and handed it to him. Mrs. Nemesis gave me a bewildered look, as if she'd never been talked back to before.

I found that hard to believe.

We glared at each other. It was like that for about 3 minutes, before I wordlessly grabbed my book-bag and pretty much ran out the door. I heard the woman yell from the classroom, "Ms. Hada! Mr. Bunnymund! Please take your seats and do not go after that wretched child!"

When I reached the office, the principal looked up from her paperwork. Mr. Brown, pretty much the only person in the school with a normal last name. "Echo," he breathed, standing quickly and gliding around his desk, "Whatever are you doing here?"

"Rebellion," I drawled sarcastically, "What do you think?"

Mr. Brown chuckled, "It was the wretched old witch, wasn't it?"

"I was gonna say it was the mindless wrinkled bag, but that works too."

Mr. Brown laughed a loud laugh, his light suit standing out on his dark skin. His build was huge, though he was pretty much harmless. Kind of like a 30-year-old North. I called him Big D, cause his first name was David.

Big D had been a close friend of my dad's, and was the only reason I had looked forward to this school. When I found out he was the principal, I knew I could get away with almost anything.

"Well, Ms. Eilimint," Big D grinned at me, "What was it for this time?"

"Aw, ya know Big D," he smiled kindly at the old nickname, "Uh... Praying."

Big D raised a sharp eyebrow, "Praying?"

"Yeah..." I drawled, then slumped into a chair at the look he gave me, "That doesn't get past you since you're the one who taught me how to do it, huh?"

"Nope." Big D shook his head with a smirk. Which was really rare for him. Suddenly, a familiar voice yelled, "Echo!"

And it sounded _pissed._

"I'm gonna kill you when we get back ho-" the albino stopped mid-scolding, staring at Big D.

The huge man had put on the crabby principal act. That was why I loved him.

"P-principal B-Brown." Jack stuttered, "Uh-uh, hello sir...?"

"Come on Big D," I laughed, "Let the kid go."

Big D let out a loud laugh and slammed a huge hand onto Jack's shoulder. The albino bit his lip to keep from yelling out, though his eyes bulged and a small squeak escaped through his teeth.

I smirked, grabbing my book-bag and standing up. "Three... Two... One..." I held up my fingers, and when all three were down, the bell rang. "Impeccable timing, Echo." Bid D complimented. "Thanks." I grinned, grabbing Jack's elbow and dragging him with me out of the office.

Once we were outside, and far enough away, Jack let out a sound somewhere between a squeak and a scream, clutching his shoulder. "You get used to it after a while." I patted his good shoulder. "Really?" he asked with hopeful eyes.

"Yeeeeaaaaah... No."

I suddenly felt something vibrating against my back, and move my pack around so I could open it. It was my phone, go figure.

I pulled it out and flipped it open, an unknown number popping up. Shrugging, I answered it.

"Hello?"

"Echo! Please tell me you know first aid!"

"Tooth? How'd you get my number?" I shot a glance at Jack, but he looked as confused as me. I grabbed his wrist again and pulled him into a random classroom, which thankfully was empty. I knew the phone was loud enough Jack could hear it.

"Bull gave it to me after lunch, just tell me you know first aid!"

"Yeah... I do..."

"Oh, thank God. Get down to the left wing, _now! _We seriously need your help!"

With that, she hung up. I looked at Jack, and he had a completely serious expression on his face.

"Don't. We both know you can't-"

"I have to Jack. For Tooth. And I highly doubt they can't be trusted."

We glared at each other for a second, before I dug into my bag and pulled out a bracelet and sneakers. I slipped the bracelet on, tossed my bag to Jack, and took off my shoes. Snatching the sneakers, I laced them on tightly and took off down the hall.

"Tooth! Tooth, I'm here! Open up!"

Tooth suddenly appeared in the doorway of a dark room, with random bits and bobs all over. What really surprised me, though, was the little globe sitting on a desk.

That had lights all over it.

"Echo!" Tooth snatched the front of my shirt and pulled me inside the room, slamming the door shut. She pulled down a shade over the little window. The only light was a little golden glow, coming from...

Sandy?

"Okay, what the heck is going on here?" I looked around the pitch dark room, and my face must have written confusion. "We need help," I felt Tooth grip my shoulders, "And yourself and Jack are the only ones who can give it to us."

I froze, the words running around my mind. "What...?" I all but whispered. "Is very bad," North was pacing the front of the room, gripping the sides of his head, "Is very, very bad."

"A guy's come 'ere, sheila," Bunny's voice hit me, and since there was pretty much no light around myself, I could only feel his hand on my shoulder, "A guy that ain't on very good terms wit us."

For some reason, his hand felt... furry. "I repeat, what is going on?" I demanded, feeling the hand leave my shoulder as my confusion and impatience rose. "Sandy." Tooth's voice rang. A larger golden glow came from the little guy, and I nearly screamed.

A large ball of golden sand floated between his palms.

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**Dun dun dun! That scene was inspired by the music that I wrote up in the beginning. Review and stay tuned!**

**~ Bookworm210**

**P.S. I never said it was gonna be a normal dream...**


	6. Yup, Grimhold

**Hey guys! :P I am totally sick. Literally. I have a sinus infection. HAPPY DAY BEFORE EASTER!**

**Review answers-**

**randomobsession123: Haha, I think you're confused. Have you read Echo yet? It will help you understand a bit more. And I don't update daily anymore, just little blotches and blobs here and there. I won't disappear for a month, though. I can promise that.**

**Nanu Kitty: O.O Don't slap me with the spatula! Nooooooooo!**

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_Previously:_

_For some reason, his hand felt... furry. "I repeat, what is going on?" I demanded, feeling the hand leave my shoulder as my confusion and impatience rose. "Sandy." Tooth's voice rang. A larger golden glow came from the little guy, and I nearly screamed._

_A large ball of golden sand floated between his palms._

"Cac naofa!" I screamed in Irish, getting a confused stare from Tooth. "Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!" I pounded the sides of my head, shutting my eyes tightly. "This can't be happening," I muttered, "This is not happening, this is so not happening. Come on Echo, wake up!"  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey! Sheila!" my eyes snapped open. Bunny stood in front of me, gripping my arms. He was normal, and he was staring at me as if nothing happened. "Are you okay?" Tooth stood behind him, a concerned look on her face. I felt a tug on my vest and looked down a Sandy.

No golden ball of sand.

North appeared behind Tooth, and eyebrow raised. The room had suddenly become normal, no little globe with lights. Normal lighting, no shade over the door window. "Tá tú gotta a bheith Dáiríre dom," I muttered, before practically yelling, "You've got to be kidding me!"  
Bunny winced as if the volume hurt him. I ripped my arms from his grasp, glared at him, then stared at the other three. "Echo?" Tooth tilted her head, "What's wrong?"

I slowly shook my head, getting a small jump start before running out of the room.

First mistake.

The second my foot left the doorway, I felt something slam into me. I let out a scream, gasping as I hit the cold, hard ground. The hallway seemed deserted beside me, whatever hit me, the suddenly there Jack, and the gang of four I just ran from.

"Owwwww, good god." A guy's voice groaned. My eyes fluttered open, and all I saw were large orbs of stormy gray. I heard Tooth gasp, North and Bunny mutter "Oh no..." in unison, and Jack's "That's gotta hurt." clear as day.

I blinked a few times as the sudden weight quickly lifted off me. I propped myself up on my elbow, my other hand cradling my head. "Um... Are-are you... okay?" I looked up. It was indeed a guy that had slammed into me, with messy black hair and pale skin. The gray orbs of eyes scanned me quickly. What really caught my attention, though, was the thin chain around his neck with a scythe charm on it.

"You alright sis?" Jack appeared by my side, kneeling down and tilting his head. I nodded. "Aye," not noticing my never used Irish accent kick in, I continued, "I'm a'right."

Jack stifled a laugh as he helped me up. "What?" I demanded, "What'a ye laughin' at, eh?"

"Echo, listen to yourself. Literally."

"Oh," I cleared my throat, "Sorry."

I looked at the black-haired boy, letting out a small growl. "That was not cool, dude." I said, balling my fists. The guy laughed, then said in a mocking tone, "Aw. Wee lamb."

My eyes went wide. Jack winced as I rolled up non-existent sleeves. "Oh, why I outta!" I lunged at the guy, only to go face-first into solid ground. I pushed myself up, rolling over a bit painfully, before I glared at the boy. He glared right back at me, "You know, I'm starting to question why I was sorry for running into you."

I growled, on my feet in a split-second. "Whoa, hey!" Jack quickly stood in front of me, arms spread out in front of him. He shot a glance at the gang of four, before looking back at the boy, "You seriously might wanna run."

The guy snorted, but turned around and walked away. He turned a corner, and not long after a loud crack invaded my hearing. Bunny let out a pained noise, clutching around his ears. Tooth winced, patting his shoulder. North rubbed his forehead, and Sandy blinked and yawned. Jack backed off as I let out a seriously frustrated scream.

"That was him," Tooth spoke after I screamed, "Grimhold Reaper."

Jack made a face, "Grimhold?"

"Heh, I said that too." I drawled sarcastically. I looked around the deserted hallway, one of those that led out into a courtyard. Like the ones in the Harry Potter movies. "Is school out or something?" I scratched my head. "They let out early today." Bunny explained, still rubbing his ear. "Is very rare." North mused.

Sandy nodded.

"So, this Grimhold guy? What's his problem?" Jack asked. Oh yeah. He wasn't there for the awkward conversation. "Yeah, I'm not exactly the right person to ask." I shrugged as Jack gave me a 'duh' look. I tugged a lock of his white hair, and in turn he poked my side. I squeaked, swatting his hand away. The albino smirked, chuckling.

I stuck my tongue out at Jack. The other four stared at us, exchanging looks with each other.

This is gonna be fun.

* * *

**Another point for Jack.**

**He's losing to Echo by 10, though. XD Review and stay tuned!**

**~ Bookworm210**

**P.S. Time skip next chapter!**


	7. Of Scythes and Shock

**I. Feel. Horrible.**

**How long has it been?**

**2 months, 3 weeks and 2 days.**

**All of you have the right to beat the hell out of me. But, thanks for all the support on Harvard. I've decided I'm totally going if I can.**

**All of you who wish to dis me out are allowed to. I'm so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry. That's 30 so's.**

**Virtual cookies to all who followed despite my being an ass and not updating! (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::)**

* * *

I could not have been more _wrong. _

Everything went down hill from there.

My dreams became more intense and more detailed; I could make out the slightest crack in a wall if I tried, I could feel a person's hand on my shoulder, I could smell the scent of death on Grim when I fell on top of him...

Oh God why did my brain think _that _up!?

Ms. Marie became extremely ill and was unable to take care of most of us, causing all but 5 of the kids in the orphanage to be adopted out right away or sent to a different location. Jack, myself and 3 other teenagers stayed to take care of Ms. Marie and help out around the place. Bull and Calla came daily to help or hang out, and Jack and I blossomed a friendship with the other 3 orphans; Mark, Sally and this big burly guy named Dur which kind of ironically was French for tough...

Mark was a skinny man, about 23, who had decided to stay and live with Ms. Marie to help out after he never got adopted. His was one of the 'chill out, man' surfer dudes; with shaggy blonde hair that covered most of his blue eyes, a little bit of stubble and a crooked grin. He always wore swim trunks with a random t-shirt and flip-flops. He could have passed off as Shaggy from Scooby-Doo if he had the right clothes.

Sally, around 15, was basically the nerd. She had huge glasses with thick black rims, and she always had them on even though they were fake and she didn't need them anyway. She had pixie-cut red hair, big green eyes, a whole bunch a freckles and a surprisingly high temper despite her nerdy attitude. She wore orange tank-top along with black sandals and a pair of white capri-pants.

Dur, exactly 17 and 1/2, was... huge. He had a shoulder-span twice the length of my arm, with bulging muscles that would make a man 3 times his age cower in fear. And he wasn't the kind of 'soft on the inside' type of guys. He was the 'I will beat the hell out of you if I want to' kind of guy. He had no mercy for those who pissed him off. If you were on his good side and you pissed him off, he would punch a hole in the wall the size of your head and make you sit there and stare at it while he stood behind you. He had a clean-shaved head, with beady brown eyes, and wore worn out Nike sneakers with ripped jeans and a white t-shirt. And he never spoke.

It was an interesting group, with me always challenging Dur and Sally flirting with Jack while Mark sat back nodding as if satisfied with himself.

And then there was the new teacher, Kozmotis Pitchiner or 'Pitch Black' as most of the students called him. Tooth, North, Bunny and Sandy seemed to despise him, while Jack stayed wary and Bull and Calla just plain ignored the guy. Me?

I walked straight up to him and said hi.

Of course after that I got a good scolding from Tooth and the other three, but that's another story.

Everyone started acting weird, as if they knew something I didn't. Calla was even more silent than normal; barely even making hand gestures anymore. Jack didn't seem as cheerful, and his smiles seemed forced. Bull acted uneasy, as if something might jump out an attack him at any moment. Tooth noticeably became less bubbly, eyes always down cast. Bunny started acting like a cornered animal, becoming paranoid and twitching. North became dead serious, as if the Russian had never been jolly in his whole life. And Sandy seemed... less gentle than before, as if his arch-enemy just decided to pop out of nowhere and say hello.

And worst of all.

_Grim _teamed up with _Jack._

.

.

.

"Gah! Dammit dog would you sit still!?"

I tugged the leash, making the black Great Dane jerk with a whine, looking at me with wide gray eyes. The leash was rather long, attached to the little ring on the large golden collar that covered all of the dog's neck. I called it 'dog' because I hadn't come up with a name yet, nor did I even have time to come up with one.

Jack had suggested Snowball, to which I gave him a dull look and dryly replied the dog was black. That was the end of Jack's idea streak.

Bull gave me a look, carefully taking the leash and loosening the grip. He clicked his tongue, "Anubis."

The dog's ears shot up and it trotted over to Bull, who smirked at my shocked expression. "Oh, by da way," the small man reached into his pocket and dug around for a second, until he finally pulled out something that looked like a black blob, "I got dese a while 'go, forgot to give 'em to ya."

He tossed whatever he was holding at me, and I made a scramble to catch them before finally getting a grip. Something sharp pricked my palms, and slowly I realized they were gloves. Thick black leather with claws on each fingertip. I stared at them in surprise before slowly slipping one on, blinking as it fit perfectly.

"Thought ya could use 'em," Bull shrugged, "I have a feelin' somethin' bad's gonna happen."

"Like?" I questioned, slipping on the other glove. I gently poked the exposed skin of my left wrist with one of the claws, eyes widening slightly as blood dripped out almost immediately.

"Don' know," Bull answered uneasily, "Just goin' wit my gut."

I lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing.

.

.

.

I sat at the top of the stairs, fiddling with the claws on the gloves Bull gave me when it happened.

The door slowly opened, the creak echoing through the silent front room. Everyone was asleep, or so I thought. I sat up, scooting over to where railing met wall as the stairs descended up. Poking my head down so I could see without being seen, I held back a gasp.

Grim crept silently into the orphanage, looking around before looking back and gesturing at the door. He seemed oblivious to my presence and I watched as Calla followed in after him, looking like a loyal yet hesitant servant. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, leaning forward so close that if I move the slightest my head would hit the railing. _What are they doing here? Why's Calla with Grimhold? _

Grim seemed to whisper something to Calla, to which she grew an expression of horror and started silently objecting to. Grim growled at her and said something else, making her shrink back and hurry away.

Toward the stairs.

I sat, paralyzed in fear and confusion as Calla rushed up the stairs, taking no notice of me until she almost tripped over my foot. Her eyes grew wider in horror as she saw me, gray-green orbs darting back and forth from Grim and myself, tears forming quickly. I opened my mouth to ask her what she was doing here and why she was with Grim of all people when she did something that surprised me severely.

Her hand reached out so quickly I didn't register what was happening until I heard a snap, and something hit my jawline. I had a sudden flash of the last dream I had; the spider woman taking the scythe-charm necklace that let me talk. Blood rushed out and dripped off my chin as I looked at Calla in shock.

The dreamed-banshee let out a miserable, suffering wail.

**3rd. P.O.V.**

Grim, now as alert as ever, raced to the bottom of the stairs, taking in the scene before him.

Echo sat at the top of the stairs, shock and confusion and fear displayed on her face, a bloody gash along her jawline as she stared at Calla. His servant let out a miserable wail as she turned and flew down the stairs, shoving the chain into Grim's chest with a watery glare. She then turned and raced back up the stairs, dropping herself next to a shocked Echo.

The Grim Reaper was about to shout why she was betraying him when he was interrupted. "Why the hell are _you_ here!?"

Echo's head swiveled to the left of the stairs, where a bed-headed Jack stood, Dur, Mark and Sally behind him. "Chill out dude." Mark said casually, though he was eyeing Grim dangerously under his bangs. "Do to unexplainable circumstances I believe you are unwelcome." Sally growled out, whipping the glasses off her face to reveal perfectly detailed, glaring green eyes. Dur cracked his knuckles, taking a menacing step forward.

Grim blinked before slowly reaching into the pocket of his black jacket.

Echo had just realized; Grim had a different attire. His black hair, instead of tame and pulled back like in school, was unruly and messy, partly covering stormy gray orbs. He wore a gray T-shirt under the jacket, baggy black jeans with chains, and black sneakers.

The boy pulled out what looked like a pen, but when he clicked a button the side, it was suddenly so much more than that. The stick expanded, growing larger and larger as it clicked to level out and when it reached full length, something silver, sharp, and very large swung out of a section on the top.

Echo's eyes widened as she realized what was happening.

Calla let out a terrified wail, shrinking back and hiding behind Echo. Said black-haired girl stood and raced down the stairs at surprising speeds, and as she placed herself between Jack and Grim with a determined look, the three behind her brother all lost their composure.

Grim let out a frustrated growl, as Jack stared with wide eyes. "Don't you ever stop meddling?" Grim complained.

Echo smirked, the black flame around her suddenly pale fist curling dangerously.

"Stop meddling."

* * *

**AND SHE SCORES IT WITH A DRAMATIC COMEBACK! BOOM!**

**I DECLARE MY WRITER'S BLOCK TO BE DEAD!**

**Review and stay tuned!**

**~ Bookworm210**


	8. And Then There Were Two

**I'm on a roll baby! Woo!**

**We get to see fighting! Well, not between Echo and Grim, that's saved for now, but we get a little glimpse of it.**

**Review answers:**

**RapunzelInTheSnow - Thanks :3**

* * *

"Echo..." Jack said slowly, "Is that... What happened to you?"

The black-haired girl looked over her shoulder with a sinister smirk, as if she'd been planning all of this. She seemed unaffected by her changes, and her eyes glinted like she knew some sly secret. Her hair had lost the sky blue streaks, her skin becoming pale, her usual sweat pants and tank-top pajamas melting away to be replaced with a white, Greek style dress and her light blue slippers disappearing into nothing. Her eyes became the biggest change; going from a mixture of elemental colors to flashing. Sky blue, rocky brown, ocean green, fiery red; all colors fighting for dominance.

She turned back to Grim, who gave an annoyed look. "I suppose you're going to give me a matching black cheek now, aren't you?" he asked dryly.

Echo responded with a circle of black flames roaring to life around her and the other four. Sally screamed and clutched Jack's arm while Mark lost his chill personality and started panicking. Dur's eyes went wide as he stared at the flames around him; the creatures flashing back and forth, baring sharp teeth and laughing hissed laughter.

"Matching black cheek." Echo responded, flickering eyes boring into Grim with anger.

**Echo's P.O.V. **

Okay, uh... what the hell is going on?

...Am I trapped in my mind?

_HOLY SONS OF KRONOS I'M TRAPPED INSIDE MY MIND! _

Okay, okay, calm, calm- oh screw this damn clam I'M STUCK INSIDE MY OWN MIND!

I spun in a circle, freezing when I came to a big projector screen which I assumed stood for my eyes. Only... it wasn't my eyes. It was like I was sitting to the side, watching this whole exchange. I could see myself...

_That's my dream self. _

"I believe I would like to argue."

Shrieking, I whirled, about to scream what the hell this dude was doing in my mind before I froze.

He was a short man, plump with a round face and kind eyes that I couldn't quite pin a color on. He wore a white suite with a cream-colored bow tie and white dress shoes, and a single strand of hair popped up on his otherwise bald head, curling as it defied gravity. My jaw dropped. I suddenly became more aware of the claws I now had because of the gloves, and got into a fighting stanza I didn't even know I knew, pointing all ten claws at the man as I bared my teeth defensively.

Where is all this coming from!?

The man seemed unaffected by my actions, instead casually tightening the bow tie and sending me a smile. "It's been a long time, Mother Nature. I am not surprised you don't recognize me." he stated. His tone held that of casualty, like he was asking what wonderful weather we're having.

"Uh... what?" I glanced over my shoulder, trying to find whoever he was talking to. Slowly, I slipped out of my stanza with grace I never believed I could pull off, "Mother... Nature...?"

"Ah, yes you believe everything is a dream. I apologize, let me introduce myself then. My name is Tsar Lunar, or as mortals call me The Man in the Moon."

"The Man in the- what insane asylum did you escape from bud 'cause I'm starting to think you're not so right in the head."

Tsar gave a rather dull look, something I felt was rare considering his aura of gentleness and the charming smile that hadn't budged until now. I spun the coo-coo sign around my ear, raising an eyebrow at him. "You did always have a knack for irritating those you found interesting." Tsar said dryly. I blinked, but he continued, "As I originally came here to say; the self you see outside, what you call your 'dream-self' is not a figment of imagination at all."

...What?

"Are you telling me that the Echo out there is the _real _Echo?"

"You've finally figured it out, my dear."

"So... my dreams... all of them are real?"

Tsar gave a nod, a smugly accomplished smile on his face. "Today just keeps getting better and better..." I mumbled, slowly shaking my head. "A little word of advice before you go," Tsar gained a somewhat solemn glint in his eyes, "Don't try to control your power... Let instinct handle this."

An odd look met him in response, and before I could confirm he was nuts, he disappeared into thin air and I suddenly gained my own eyesight again.

Something suddenly changed. I sensed so many emotions of shock, fear, confusion and awe that I could barely keep track. I suddenly became aware of everything around me; of every single movement there was. Vibrations traveled through the ground and to my feet, and as I reveled in the changes, Grim slowly smirked.

And he charged, scythe raised high above his head.

Vibrations flew through the floor violently, making my head snap up, and as the circle of black flames went down my eyes became wide. On instinct I raised my hands, positioned my feet perfectly, and threw my palms forward.

Cracks appeared in the old wooden floor, spreading out as something shot from the center of the spirals, slammed into Grim and sent him racing through the wall of the front room.

_Did I just... do that? _

Jack gulped behind me as Sally hid behind him. Mike stared in naked, unmasked shock and Dur stood frozen on spot. "Uh, Echo..." Jack stared weakly, "When you said you dreamed you had elemental powers..."

He trailed off, staring at the skinny boulder that had protruded out of the ground and into Grim. Said guy was standing up slowly, holding his head as he came into view through the hole he'd smashed when he was sent flying. He caught my eyes and growled, raising his scythe again.

As he charged, Tsar's words echoed in my head. _"Don't try to control your power... Let instinct handle this." _

Instinct... Alright then. Let's do this.

I suddenly felt myself melt away into the air, becoming the breeze that helped so many spirits fly. Mentally smirking, I glided backwards to a panicking Jack and grabbed the hood of his jacket, floating higher. The result?

Jack screamed several streams of curses and flailing violently.

Grim stopped charging, scythe dropping down as he stared at Jack in shock. The other three had long since recovered from said emotion, each getting into their own ways of a battle stanza. Jack grinned, realizing he wasn't going to fall as I materialized next to him, floating casually on my back with my arms behind my head.

Sally was the first to charge.

She let out a high-pitched battle cry, glasses raised high above her head as she ran towards Grim. The black-haired boy barely had time to register what she was doing when the glasses struck down on his cheek, the lens shattering as the plastic cracked. Several of the glass scraped Grim's cheek, but he took no notice as he slammed the butt end of his scythe into Sally's stomach, making her yell in pain before dropping to the floor.

Mark was next to charge.

He stood there casually, eyeing Grim as the surfer-dude nodded to himself. Grim growled with impatience before he swung his scythe down at Mark. The blonde side-stepped at the last moment, repeating the action when Grim tried the same move he used on Sally. Reaper finally became fed up with it, and in a flurry of scythe swings, finally managed to snag Mark's shoulder. Mark hissed as his hand flew to the injury before Grim kicked him aside.

Dur charged third.

His threw his meaty fist at Grim, who seemed to materialize behind him. Dur continued throwing punches blindly, Grim dodging each one, and from his expression he was thinking of a plan. Finally, Grim stood in one spot, scythe propped on his shoulder as Dur charged him, fist raised. Grim stood as things and watched as Dur's fist inches away from the black-haired boy's face. Grim suddenly sidestepped, causing Dur to charge past him and into the wall.

Jack charged next.

He dropped back to his feet, running nimbly at Grim, who smirked like he had finally found a worthy opponent. Something wooden, crooked and softly glowing blue shifted from the air and into Jack's hands. Said boy barely took notice to it as a large, sharp ice shard flew from the crook at the top, straight at Grim. The Reaper knocked it aside as if it were nothing, and in one swift move brought down his scythe. The blade cut through the staff as if it were butter, ripping part of Jack's hand before finally embedding itself in the floor. Using this to his advantage, Grim swung his leg up, gripping the scythe handle for balance as he kicked Jack in the face, then the stomach and the uh... ahem, _batteries. _Jack squealed in a 'manly' fashion before dropping to his knees.

Grim ripped his scythe from the floor, propping it casually on his elbow as if he hadn't just taken down 4 people in a row. His gray orbs turned to me, and as flashing met stormy all fear that had traced itself through me disappeared.

A vicious, blood-chilling, evil grin curled on the Reaper's face.

"And then there were two."

* * *

**Jack: ...**

**Please don't freeze me *slowly backs away***

**(2 minutes later...)**

**Echo: *watches Bookworm being chased by a furious Jack***

**Grim: Uh... Bookworm says to review and stay tuned, I guess...**

**SOMEBODY HELP ME! **

**~ Bookworm210**


	9. Spiritual Power

**Wow. Daily updates.**

**Awesome :D**

* * *

I growled, clenching my fists. The claws dug into the leather, trying desperately to rip it as they punctured a few holes. Grim's grin wavered slightly as my arms caught fire, the heat surprising ineffective to the gloves. Bull must have tricked them out somehow...

Grim and I circled each other, each waiting for the other to make a move. Grim tightened his grip on the scythe, malicious grin never leaving his features. I felt paranoid, shocked and scared, unable to grasp the concept that all the dreams I'd been having were real.

Or maybe... this was a dream...

Maybe this entire thing; the fight that was about to take place, my power over the elements, my four friends lying on the floor not far from us... Maybe all of it was a dream.

_**No.** _

Shock over-weighed all other emotions. _Okay... There is a voice, in my head. _

_**This is not a dream. Everything else was, but the moment the Grim Reaper walked through that door all of this became real. If you die during this fight... then you die for real. **_

_Oh what wonderful encouragement- wait what? He's gonna kill me!? _

_**At any open chance he gets. I do not expect you to remember all this but the Reaper and yourself are opposites, and the moment one spiritual power touches the other, you lose a part of your life force. **_

_I lose part of my... Are you saying that if he lands enough blows on me I'll die? _

_**Not just regular blows. They must be used in one with his spiritual power. Why do you think your attacks have such great affect on him? Any other spirit's cheek wouldn't have turned black at all, much less stay said color. **_

_Holy... wow... _

_**Pay attention!**_

The moment the voice shrieked that command, I suddenly became aware of Grim charging at me with a look of impatience, scythe raised and a look of pure and bitter _hatred _in his eyes. Before I had time to register his next move, the Reaper slammed the butt end of his scythe into my stomach, smirking when a satisfying crack echoed as I flew backwards and through a window.

Pain blossomed everywhere. Glass shattered down like glittering rain. Blood dripped down my arms and stained my dress as I was sent down onto the hard asphalt of the road outside. Passerby's screamed or ran away or whipped out their phones and called 911. I groaned, forcing myself into a sitting position, no matter how much my back yelled at me for doing so.

_Ow... _

_**You have a lot of work to do. Well, while you're distracted I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Grim.**_

It took me a moment to comprehend that.

Then, _HOW DID YOU GET IN MY MIND!? _

**_Okay, easy. I guess the formal act won't really help. I can explain, though. See, Jack and I couldn't really be placed exactly into the dream, so we made up replacements instead, I don't really know why mine's going nuts, Jack is here too and- _**

_Wait wait wait wait. Jack is- _

**Hey Echo!**

_Oh god... _

It was then dream Grim decided he was completely fed up with me not paying much attention. "Dammit get into the fight!" he yelled, swinging down his scythe at me. I screamed as my hands flew up, claws scraping against the metal blade in attempt to stop it.

The sharp death tool froze centimeters from my face. I stared at dream Grim with wide eyes, and he stared back in annoyance.

_**The scythe-stick thing is pretty cool... I'll have to look into that... **_

_Not helping! _

**Wait... Did I just get kicked in the...**

**_I feel bad for you dude. _**

_WOULD BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP AND HELP OUT!? _

I suddenly became aware of my foot position, and smirked slowly as I tensed my leg.

"SON OF A FUCK!"

Reaper (I'll just call dream-Grim that for now) let out a long string of curse words in about every possible language there is as he dropped his scythe to the side and bounced away from me, falling to his knees with his hands cupped over the family jewels. Jack snickered inside my mind while Grim copied Reaper's string of multi-language curse words.

**I smell popcorn. **Jack randomly said, and it felt like something left the main part of my mind. _...There's popcorn cooking inside my brain... _I said dryly, to which Grim chuckled nervously in response. _I'm gonna kill you when I get out of here. _

Reaper glared as I took notice of the scythe, which was sitting innocently beside me. I swiped it, rolled and shot to my feet, pointing the blade at Reaper. The boy laughed, his malicious grin reappearing on his face, "What are ya gonna do, little girl? Slice me to death? A spirit's own weapon can't kill them."

Suddenly, a loud wail cut through the air, and both our heads swiveled to look at Calla, who stood waving something above her head. She was smiling through her tears.

_**Calla! **_Grim exclaimed cheerfully as the banshee thew whatever it was she was holding at me. I caught it, feeling a change immediately. I held the chain up to my face, smirking when the blade on the scythe charm shifted from a dull silver back to a blood red. Reaper growled as I propped the actual scythe on my shoulder, slipping the necklace over my head.

"No..." I said casually, taking the scythe and twirling it around in my fingers, "But... Spiritual power of opposite entities, _can._"

Reaper's eyes widened in fear. He took a step back as I advanced. "How do you know that!?" he demanded, though his voice wavered considerably. "This isn't where you belong, Reaper," I continued, ignoring the question, "Where you belong, is in the big-headed, ego-inflated, sarcastic-"

_**I think he gets it...**_

"-mind of the real Death. And that's... where you... are going... to go!"

Scythe lifted high above my head, Reaper paralyzed in fear, the whole world seemed to go in slow motion. I brought the scythe down, and as Reaper stared at it, I failed to see the wicked smirk that spread across his face.

Reaper suddenly shot from his place, fist brought back, covered in an eerily black mist. His fist lunged forward, making contact with my stomach, and pain so powerful it made me freeze spread through my body. I dropped the scythe, which clattered to the ground as my back arched and I screamed, falling to the ground with the scythe, and before the darkness took over, I heard Grim and Jack's yells.

_**ECHO!**_

* * *

**Okay, uhm... Heheh... Not as epic as a fight as I wanted it to be...**

***dodges stuff thrown by audience***

**Hey! Hey okay ow! I get it! Just- ow! Okay! Who threw the frying pan!**

**Echo: While Bookworm is dodging random bits and bobs; review and stay tuned for my probable death!**

**OW!**

**~ Bookworm210**

**PS. The popcorn comment from Jack is because I smelled popcorn and am now eating three-fourths of the bag of popcorn :D**


	10. The Name's Valarie

***bawls* We c-come to the e-end of R-Rise of the H-High School!**

***wipes tears* But don't worry! ECHO IS BECOMING A SERIES! *celebration with confetti and balloons and all that***

**The third in the Elements series will be called Casual Killers._  
_**

**Yeah you heard me.**

**But it won't be up for a while... *bawls again***

* * *

**3rd P.O.V. **

The Guardians didn't know what to expect when they found two most powerful spirits next to Manny tangled in a web with Jack.

They of course did not expect the three to be asleep for 2 weeks, and during this period the suddenly flurry of attacks they _didn't_ receive.

Or for a pair of gloves with sharp claws that made Bunnymund jealous to appear from thin air onto Echo's hands.

Or for Earth to suddenly let out an agonizingly pained scream, arching her back as her face twisted into that of horrible suffering. Jack and Death both sat up so quickly, alert and widely awake, that Tooth, who was hovering over the two in worry, had to buzz higher to avoid being hit.

Skipping to about 5 minutes later; Jack was explaining everything that had happened, from Echo having dreams about the actual life to Grim's replacement going berserk and punching Echo with some weird black-mist-covered-fist. Grim was pacing back and forth, gripping his scythe so tightly his knuckles went as white as Jack's hair. He had completely forgotten about the stick thing, instead blaming all of this on himself. If he hadn't had transported everyone then Echo wouldn't have gotten lost and then trapped by the fearlings and the following up events with Arachne and her freaking dream we-

Wait.

The fearlings.

"That's it!" Grim snapped his fingers in full on idea mode. Everyone looked at him, the words in Jack's throat dying down, which he was thankful for because his voice had just begun to crack.

"What's it?" Tooth asked. "The fearlings!" Grim said hurriedly, "When the fearlings erased Echo's memories they weren't planning on Arachne to come here and when Echo started dreaming about her life as a spirit- her memory came back! But the fearlings never left, I saw they were in the dream with us! Maybe they can like, heal Echo somehow!"

"Stop right there, mate," Bunny interjected, "Fearlin's are a lot'a things, but they ain't healers."

"Maybe not to the enemy," Grim said matter-of-factly, "But they don't see Echo as an enemy anymore."

Sandy started making rapid sand images, clearly not liking the plan very much and as North opened his mouth to object with the golden man, everyone froze at the sound of a familiar voice. "I had the most insane dream..."

Everyone turned to look at Echo, who had propped herself on her elbow and was holding her head, one knee bent as the other lay limp. While no one was paying attention, her dress had melted away and replaced itself with a pair of jeans and a shirt ruffled at the bottom and the sleeves along with a pair of black flip-flops. Her skin tone had darkened to a fair color, not too pale and not as dark as it was in the dream, and the not many freckles she had multiplied themselves across her nose and cheeks. Her hair had become less frizzled, instead sitting curled around her shoulders but thankfully keeping it's black locks.

Her eyes had stopped their flickering. Her left eye sat frozen on a fiery red, while her right eye stood in time as a rocky brown.

Everyone stared at her until Jack finally let out an exasperated sound, Grim's comment soon after, "Will you just pick a damn form already?"

"What?" Echo blinked and looked at the group, before her jaw dropped. "Okay, I'm still dreaming..." she mumbled, slowly kicking her legs over the side of the table she'd been laid on. "Grim's right," Jack mused sarcastically, "I mean come on, pick a form already Echo it's getting ol-"

"Wait, who?" the black-haired girl gave Jack a look like he was stupid, "My name's not Echo. What kind of name is that?"

The Guardians and Grim all exchanged horrified looks before she continued.

"My name's Valarie."

* * *

***sniffs* And now... We come to the end of Rise of the High School...**

**Up next, Casual Killers!**

**Stay tuned for the third book in the Element series!**

**~ Bookworm210**


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